In the Eye of the Beholder

An Ambush Bug on thistle is a masterful work of art. Not sure if its unsuspecting prey would feel the same!!Many people are not fond of insects, except, perhaps butterflies. In the right setting and light, though, they are revealed as masterful works of art, as are all things in nature. Here are a few images to consider. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, true enough, but I feel that this beauty is inherent in nature. Sometimes we just need to be open to it to see it revealed.

Lightening Bug beetle on Milkweed flowers. (Click to enlarge)When I encounter such tiny wonders just going about their business in the world, if I watch them for a few minutes I feel a strong connection to them, something that actually seems to help me relax. They are fellow earthlings, and as such we are related to them. Perhaps this is the link – that we're all in it together, bound together in life and death struggles. Or maybe it's that we're all made up of bits of the same primordial stardust? Or maybe it is a connection beyond the physical, something common that flows through all life on earth – a spirit-that-moves-through-all-things?

Click this image for a closer look at the Ambush Bug!We all have our limitations regarding what images we can accept into our experience. I have an extreme aversion and sensitivity to the graphic slash-and-gore, psychological thriller movie genre. Even one 15-second glimpse of such films disturbs me for days and haunts my mind. I just can't tolerate it, yet I have friends who eat this stuff up, seemingly unaffected by such images. They can easily watch several of them back-to-back with a bowl of popcorn!

Dancing in the light – an Orchard Web Weaver at work. (Click to enlarge)So I understand that some people have a similar aversion to natural images of spiders, snakes, or other such creatures. Watching a grasshopper or wasp clean their antennae of dust and pollen, or seeing a dragonfly eat a moth just fascinates me and contributes more to my life than murderous zombies, severed heads, and bouncing brains.